The Bottom Line
- Full Two Gigabytes of Memory
- Large Hard Drive
- Only Features Vista Home Basic
- Lacks ExpressCard Slot
- Integrated Graphics
Description
- Intel Core 2 Duo T5300 Dual Core Mobile Processor
- 2GB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
- 160GB 5400rpm ATA Hard Drive
- 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) LCD Display
- Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g Wireless
- Four USB 2.0, One FireWire, Type II PC Card, 4-in-1 Card Reader
- 14.1" x 10.4" x 1.4" @ 6.4 lbs.
- Windows Vista Home Basic, MS Works 8.5, Money, Power2Go, McAfee Internet Security
Guide Review - Gateway MT6831 Thin and Light Notebook
5/9/07 – The first thing that most people will notice about the Gateway MT6831 is the price. This thin and light notebook is not much more expensive than some of the budget systems on the market, but it does have a bit more to offer and some pitfalls to go along with it.
On the plus side, Gateway has packed the MT6831 with a full two gigabytes of memory. This lets the system run smoothly with the Vista operating system with multiple applications open. It does use some slower PC2-4200 DDR2 memory over the faster PC2-5300 memory. The system also provides a large amount of storage space with its 160GB hard drive. This should provide plenty of space for applications and data.
Even with these features, there are some pretty major flaws with the Gateway MT6831. The most notable of these is the use of the Windows Vista Basic operating system. With all of the memory and storage space, it seems silly for Gateway to only include the Basic version. This prevents much of the multimedia features from being used and excludes the Vista Aero interface.
Like many of the notebooks released over the last year, the Gateway MT6831 also uses an integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics solution rather than a dedicated processor. This means that the system does not have sufficient graphics capabilities for task such even light 3D gaming. In addition, it would have limited functionality with the Vista Aero interface, if it were included with the system.
On the whole, the Gateway MT6831 is a good step up from many budget systems with the additional memory and storage space, but it fails to really be competitive with other slightly more expensive thin and light notebook systems on the market.
